Platinum

This novel continues the story Golden, except told through Lilah’s point of view rather than Lissy. I’m not sure what I was expecting from this sequel, but Platinum definitely surprised me. Lilah isn’t incredibly likeable in the first novel, so I’m glad that we’re able to see her perspective in this one and get some insight as to why she acts so mean in order to stay on top of the social ladder.Platinum starts off by Lilah hanging out with her friends. She’s feeling weird after her supernatural encounter from the last book and is starting to see things that aren’t there and have weird flashbacks whenever she touches someone or something. She blames Lissy for the psychic powers rubbing off on her and is worried about losing her Queen Bee status if anyone figures out that she’s becoming a “freak” like her future stepsister. As I said before, I liked seeing that Lilah is vulnerable and an actual person rather than the frosty ice queen she was in the first book. In that sense, Platinum really rounds out the overall story by giving the cast of characters more complexity.As for the plot itself, it’s intriguing. It turns out that Lilah’s high school is haunted, and it’s up to her to keep her boyfriend from dying from a weird ghost loop that happens every 10 years or so. It’s a quick read and fairly entertaining. While I think the overall psychic powers stuff could have been fleshed out, it is a fun ghost story. I love how genuine the stupid high school drama games seem, and I was surprised quite a few times by the developments of what exactly is happening with the haunting.Overall, a good sequel to Golden. You should probably read Golden first, but I definitely recommend it for people who’ve read it. It nicely resolves everything hanging over from the first book, and Barnes does a great job in developing characters that were rather flat the first time through.

Supernatural happenings may be the downfall of the most popular girl at Emory High in Jennifer Lynn Barnes's sequel to GOLDEN.Lilah Covington's mum will be marrying Lissy's uncle, and thus they're family. Lissy, sister Lexie, and their mother and grandmother all have the Sight, each in its various forms - and now it seems Lilah has retronition, the ability to see into the past. That's why only she can communicate with the ghost who's suddenly always around. Plus Lilah's also having visions in which there will be murder...but the only way to stop it and history repeating is to step inside her vision.Lilah is a caricature popular girl: she knows she's on top, and she'll stamp on anyone who tries to better her - even her supposed best friend. There doesn't seem to be any real friendship amongst them, but surely even popular girls experience real friendship.Then there's the girl from forty years ago, who was so in love with her own beauty, power and popularity that she thrived watching boys fight to the death over her. It's lame, and Helen is a caricature as well as Lilah.But despite its flaws, this is actually a fun read. Try not to think, just speed through it, and you should find it a pleasant way to pass your day. Now, if only the author's "Squad" books were published in Australia...

The much-anticipated sequel to Barnes' debut novel GOLDEN, PLATINUM tells the other side of the story, from the perspective of Emory High's Queen Bee herself, the one and only Lilah Covington. The perfect life that Lilah has worked so hard to build for herself seems to be slowly falling apart. Her newfound cousin Lissy seems determined to stay at the bottom of the social hierarchy despite Lilah's best attempts to coach her otherwise, her best friend is making a play for her boyfriend, and she's starting to see people that no one else can see. And maybe even falling for one of them. Sweet revenge is one of Lilah's many talents, but supernatural problems are hardly her forte, which means that she's stuck sucking up to social leper Lissy for help.I'm not generally a fan of sequels, but PLATINUM manages to outshine GOLDEN by a long haul. Lilah is my favorite of Barnes' protagonists, and Barnes does an excellent job of getting inside the head of a girl who is essentially a huge bitch and making the reader love her. We get an inside view of how Lilah grew up, what makes her vulnerable, how she got to be the way she is, and why she fights so hard to keep her life the way it is. Lilah doesn't do anything just to be mean, she's merely a smart girl who knows what she wants and knows people and their social hierarchies well enough to get it. The majority of young adult novels in the post-MEAN GIRLS era that try to capture what goes on in popular cliques fall flat because their authors seem to have forgotten to look for any motivation for their characters' actions beyond the mall or the school dance. What's truly commendable about this novel is that the reasons for each of Lilah's actions are very clear, and because of this we're usually on her side.I think a rereading GOLDEN after knowing Lilah's side of the story would also be an interesting read.

A great follow through to Golden, Platinum comes in the point of view of a supporting character from the first novel. A great idea, with such imaginative gifts, the book was as great of a ride as the first. It's an easy read, and you can finish it in a few hours. It's a great entertainment, but not thought provoking or challenging.